VCU’s ESPN Events Invitational campaign was a challenging one, but a tournament that ultimately ended on a very high note, as VCU defeated Mike Rhoades’ Penn State Nittany Lions team, 86-74.
The black and gold led for most of the contest and took a six-point lead into the half, but found themselves down three with 13:37 to play and staring down a scary momentum shift after the Rams’ two previous contests saw VCU surrender two double-digit leads in losses. That’s when Richmond native, Fats Billups, connected on a three, one of his game-high five on the morning, to tie things up.
Then later at the 7:12 mark after a made Ace Baldwin three trimmed the Rams advantage to four, Billups would hit back-to-back threes within a minute of action, followed by a steal and a layup to stretch VCU’s lead out to a comfortable 10 points. He’d hit another three to give VCU a 14-point advantage, a cushion that they’d manage to somewhat easily ride out in the win.
Billups played a career-high 27 minutes on a day the black and gold were without three-point specialist, Jason Nelson, and finished with a team-high and career-high 23 points on 8-9 shooting. He added two blocks and a steal in the win.
Billups just narrowly outpaced Zeb Jackson who came up with several clutch makes himself as a part of a 22-point effort. He added a team-high six assist and seven rebounds.
Max Shulga added a steady 19 points for the Rams, 10 of which came via a perfect night at the free throw stripe. He added two assists, two steals and a block in the win.
Freshman, Michael Belle, got his seventh consecutive start to begin his career — coincidentally with the NCAA’s all-time starts leader, Bradford Burgess, on the sideline. He grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, but kept several other balls alive to turn into more rebounds for his teammates. He added two assists, one steal and one block.
The win keeps the Rams from going winless in Orlando after two narrow losses to Iowa State and Boise State and instead hands that honor to their former coach, Rhoades. Penn State won all four of Rhoades’ first game as the Nittany Lions Head Coach, but dropped all three of their Orlando matchups by double-digits.
Former Ram, Ace Baldwin, scored a game-high 27 points for PSU in the loss. Fellow VCU departure, Nick Kern, chipped in seven points for his new squad.
The win moves VCU to 4-3 on the season. VCU will have several days off before their next contest, a 7PM home tip against the Spartans of Norfolk State.
The black and gold led for most of the contest and took a six-point lead into the half, but found themselves down three with 13:37 to play and staring down a scary momentum shift after the Rams’ two previous contests saw VCU surrender two double-digit leads in losses. That’s when Richmond native, Fats Billups, connected on a three, one of his game-high five on the morning, to tie things up.
Then later at the 7:12 mark after a made Ace Baldwin three trimmed the Rams advantage to four, Billups would hit back-to-back threes within a minute of action, followed by a steal and a layup to stretch VCU’s lead out to a comfortable 10 points. He’d hit another three to give VCU a 14-point advantage, a cushion that they’d manage to somewhat easily ride out in the win.
Billups played a career-high 27 minutes on a day the black and gold were without three-point specialist, Jason Nelson, and finished with a team-high and career-high 23 points on 8-9 shooting. He added two blocks and a steal in the win.
Billups just narrowly outpaced Zeb Jackson who came up with several clutch makes himself as a part of a 22-point effort. He added a team-high six assist and seven rebounds.
Max Shulga added a steady 19 points for the Rams, 10 of which came via a perfect night at the free throw stripe. He added two assists, two steals and a block in the win.
Freshman, Michael Belle, got his seventh consecutive start to begin his career — coincidentally with the NCAA’s all-time starts leader, Bradford Burgess, on the sideline. He grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, but kept several other balls alive to turn into more rebounds for his teammates. He added two assists, one steal and one block.
The win keeps the Rams from going winless in Orlando after two narrow losses to Iowa State and Boise State and instead hands that honor to their former coach, Rhoades. Penn State won all four of Rhoades’ first game as the Nittany Lions Head Coach, but dropped all three of their Orlando matchups by double-digits.
Former Ram, Ace Baldwin, scored a game-high 27 points for PSU in the loss. Fellow VCU departure, Nick Kern, chipped in seven points for his new squad.
The win moves VCU to 4-3 on the season. VCU will have several days off before their next contest, a 7PM home tip against the Spartans of Norfolk State.
